Lifeline
by giovanbronckhorst
Summary: The Doctor and Rose have to make decisions on just who they can save when they cause an epidemic on a planet they shouldn’t be on. Summaries are not my forte.
1. Chapter 1

**Lifeline**

**Summary:**** The Doctor and Rose have to make decisions on just who they can save when they cause an epidemic on a planet they shouldn't be on. Summaries are not my forte. **

**Centric Character(s):**** The Doctor, Rose and OC.**

**Rating:**** T, just to be safe.**

**A/N:**** I'd like to point out this is my first Dr. Who fic, and this is coming from someone who hasn't seen most of season 3 and 4, so please bear with me. I know some things might seem like they don't make sense, but they will eventually, I swear. Please review after you've read, even if it's just to tell me this is a **_**really **_**bad story. Concrit is especially helpful for me too!**

*****

Just as Mickey had said, the Doctor had an uncanny talent of having death follow in his path. Mickey knew it, Rose knew it and the Doctor _definitely _knew it. Of course, it didn't stop him travelling, but he helped where he could and took all the precautions possible.

Initially, the situation that he and Rose had found themselves in didn't seem to be a dangerous one. The surface of the planet that the TARDIS landed on seemed quite similar to that of Earth in the year 2022. The inhabitants of the planet seemed human and there were spaceships parked around the sea docks. It seemed to be a nice place at first glance. However, despite being so similar to Earth and not even two decades past Rose's present, the spaceships and docks were the only signs of any kind of technology.

The TARDIS had landed on a grassy bank, a short walk away from what looked like a market area. The Doctor and Rose, not yet noticing anything wrong with the situation, had taken a brisk walk to the market. Rose was eager to buy some more souvenirs for her mother while the Doctor was keen to investigate this planet that he'd never before visited.

"Really? You've _never _been here? In all your 900 years?" Rose had asked incredulously when he'd explained that he didn't actually know where they were.

"Do you know how many planets and satellites there are in total? I doubt I'll _ever _manage them all."

"But, if you don't know where we are, how come we're here? Didn't you put a specific place into the TARDIS?"

"Well, actually, the TARDIS just sort of brought us here. I'm not quite sure why. I was aiming for 1066," the Doctor explained nonchalantly.

"Isn't that a bit worrying?"

"Not really. She's done it before."

Rose frowned but didn't voice her worries anymore. If the Doctor said it was alright, it generally ended up alright. Generally.

*****

The market was the typically type of market that would have been found on Earth during Queen Victoria's reign. The entire place had a Victorian air about it, though the appearance of the public was definitely more Whitechapel than Buckingham Palace.

All of the man, women and children slouched around the market as though their backs were broken and were dressed in nothing more than rags. Their clothes and faces were dirt strained, yet they appeared well fed. Rose shared a startled glance with the Doctor then continued on behind him as he made his way towards a stone city.

"If they've got spaceships, why are they so Camelot?" Rose queried as they passed row after row of small huts. From the open windows, Rose and the Doctor could see at least eight people jammed into each room with flimsy, stained mattresses littered on the floor.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor answered, his eyes searching through each open window.

On the way thought the city, they passed several more citizens, all of whom stretched their faces into tense, fearful smiles, but remained several feet away from the two of them.

Halfway down the stone path that led towards a castle, the two time travellers passed an open doorway that was built into the side of a mountain. The fact that a single mountain was situated in the middle of the town didn't interest Rose anymore, but the darkness beyond the door intrigued her. She slipped behind the Doctor and peered into the black. A soft breeze travelled towards Rose, causing her to take a step away.

A distant bang sounded from inside, making her jump. A hand clasped over her shoulder, drawing out a surprised squeal as she jumped around. It wasn't the Doctor, however, who had grabbed her. The man was distinctly different from the rest of the people: he wore long, regal, red robes and a headdress that resembled a crown.

"Good afternoon," the man greeted pleasantly, letting go of Rose's shoulder. The Doctor was looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity, but smiled nonetheless.

"Good afternoon. Who are you?" he asked bluntly.

"I am Makaidric. I am one of the Kings of Arocatia," he explained, his smiling not faltering at all.

"One of?" the Doctor repeated. "How many Kings do you have?"

"Twelve. We rule together and keep each other in line. Might I ask who you are?"

"I'm the Doctor. This is Rose Tyler. We're visitors," the Doctor replied unwaveringly.

"Visitors? We have never had any visitors on Arocatia. Where did you come from?"

"You never have visitors? What about the spaceships back that way?" Rose asked, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.

Makaidric looked genuinely puzzled. "What are spaceships? We have none of these things that you speak of. Over there we have just wreckage."

"Wreckage?" Rose's eyebrow rose significantly.

"Indeed. We believe the large pieces of metal were the remnants of a crash or battle many, many years ago, before living memory. We have kept them in pristine condition as remnants of our history," Makaidric elaborated. "Come; let me take you to the castle. You'll be much more comfortable." He waved a hand, ushering Rose and the Doctor along with him, continuing their path towards the castle.

"Can't you check the records to see if anything crashed here years ago?" Rose asked on their way.

"We have no records. No one on Arocatia can read or write and we believe that no one _ever _had been able in the history of this planet."

"None of you can read or write? Not a single one?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"No."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged another glance and remained silent for the remainder of the trip to the castle.

*****

To say that the interior of the castle was a stark difference to the marketplace outside would be the understatement of all time. The inside resembled what Rose would picture the home of the Ruler of the Universe to look like. The walls were made of a sparkling green material that looked like emeralds; the roof was so high that Rose couldn't see the top and the carpets were made of a soft animal skin that had white and purple fur. As the two of them were being led down the hallway by Makaidric, the Doctor inspected the architecture.

"It's made from hichoxonifasterine," he whispered to Rose. He noticed her bemused expression and continued. "It's more commonly known as Medalon around most planets. It's one of the most sought after materials in the galaxy. It's a naturally occurring gem that is native to very few planets. The supply of it has been running low for decades; everyone's been using it so much. It can be used for anything because it's so easily moulded."

"So it's under huge demand but these guys have enough to go DIY:SOS with it?"

"Apparently. Though I'll admit, _this _is a bit concerning. Normally Medalon is used in small quantities for things like jewellery or making picture frames, for instance. To put so much of it together..."

"What?" Rose asked immediately. "What happens when you put a lot of it together?"

"Well, Medalon emits its own energy. That's another reason it's so high in demand. It can be used to power pretty much anything. Judging by the size of this castle, there's about 125 square miles of Medalon lining these halls. Put all that energy in an enclosed space and... bad things."

"Like what?" Rose whispered more desperately.

"Bad things."

*****

Makaidric continued to lead Rose and the Doctor on for several more minutes, though Rose spent the entire time staring at the walls as though they would explode any second. The Doctor kept it to himself that they probably could,

When they reached large, shimmering, green doors, the Doctor scoffed and shook his head. "They're making doors with it!" he hissed to Rose quietly. "Either they don't know what they've got here, or they're just really stupid."

"Maybe we should tell 'em. Tell them what can happen if you have too much of this stuff together."

Makaidric turned to face them, cutting of the Doctor's response. "I hope you will be comfortable here during your stay. I will send someone along momentarily to ensure you have everything you need."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but Makaidric scuttled away quickly before here could get a word out. "Right then..."

The Doctor pushed open the Medalon doors and inspected the room before them. "Eh. It'll do."

Rose stepped in behind him and gasped. In keeping with the rest of the castle, the walls were glittering with Medalon and the floor was covered in the white and purple fur of an unknown animal. A King sized bed was situated at the back of the room, pressed again the wall.

"This is amazing!" Rose exclaimed. "I feel like I'm living in a Palace."

"For all intents and purposes, you are," the Doctor replied. "You're staying in the home that belongs to Kings, so I guess that makes it a Palace. And a pretty snazzy one at that. I wonder what animal this is." He bent down and ran a hand through the soft fur, gripping parts of it and running it across his fingers.

"I've never seen an animal with white and purple fur. Whatever it is, it's probably indigenous to this planet."

Rose wasn't listening to him. She'd gone skidding into the adjoining room which appeared to be an ensuite bathroom. "Doctor!" she called to him. "It's like it in here as well! The fur and the walls... but_ everything's _made of Medalon. Even the bath and the sink!"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and entered the room behind Rose. Had he not known what to expect, the Doctor would have insisted that he could now only see one part of the colour spectrum. The only thing in the room that was not green was the white and purple floor.

"Oh, this is getting ridiculous," the Doctor sighed. "I'm amazed this entire place hasn't blown up yet. I'm telling you Rose, this amount of Medalon in one place isn't good. We can't stay here."

Rose looked slightly disappointed. The idea of staying in a room made of a precious stone was a nice one to most girls. Of course, the idea that it could blow up tended to take away from it a little as well.

The Doctor was already heading out of the bathroom and towards the grand Medalon doors. As he was about to open them, they started to move from the other side as someone began to make their way in.

The Doctor took a step back as Rose came to stand next to him. Rather than it be Makaidric, or another of the Arocatia Kings, a small girl entered. She stood at about five feet tall and was dressed the same as the citizens outside. The Doctor gave her a friendly smile and bent down a little to her level. "Hello. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose. Can we help you?"

"The King sent me with beverages for you and the lady. Where would you like me to put them?" she asked. Her voice had a soft femininity about it, though it was strong and unwavering.

The Doctor looked around for a moment, then took the tray from the girl's hands. There were two glasses on it, both made of Medalon. They were cone shaped and balanced on the tip of the cone without falling. Inside was a clear liquid with blue bubbles floating gently on top. The Doctor placed the tray on the floor beside him and Rose and smiled again at the girl.

"What's your name?" Rose asked.

"Eleven," the girl replied, looking at Rose with a mild curiosity.

"Eleven? That's not a name, it's a number."

"I am the eleventh to work for the Kings this year, thus, I am Eleven."

"Did you not have a name before that?" Rose asked, stunned by the girl's matter-of-fact answer.

"I was not in existence before that. I was born to serve the Kings."

"You were born... this year?"

"Yes."

Rose turned quickly to the Doctor to whisper in his ear. "How could she have been born this year? Look at her, she looks about fourteen!"

"I told you that Medalon could be used for anything. It has all its own power, so it can do pretty much anything. A birth like hers would probably be easy."

"So these people can't read or write, but they can create teenagers?"

"I think there are things that Makaidric isn't saying," the Doctor stated, finally tearing his eyes away from Eleven to look at Rose.

"King Makaidric wished me to extend an invitation to you, sir. And to you, madam. He and the others believed you'd wish to witness today's attempt."

"Attempt? Attempt at what?" the Doctor asked immediately.

"Opening the vortex, of course."

*****

**A/N:**** There's more to this story than meets the eye. There is an explanation for everything happening on Arocatia and Eleven will be featuring more. Eleven will be given a real name, so if you have any ideas, please feel free to suggest some.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**** I'd like to take the opportunity to say thank you to the wonderful reviews I got for the last chapter. They're absolutely fantastic. Also, thanks to all those who put this story on alert. That also means a lot to me. I'm glad my first Doctor Who fic has been well received.  
Anyway, I'd like to warn everyone that I'm not the world's best updater, so the chapters might be a little staggered. But, I'm not really intending on this story being more than about five chapters, so it should be relatively alright. So, on with the story!**

*********

A mysterious planet that they seemingly shouldn't be on; check. Creepy alien Kings hiding things; got it. Very ominous sounding vortex-opening attempt; got it. By Rose's standards, this had become a _very _bad situation.

She turned to look at the Doctor, confusion evident on her face. The Doctor however, hadn't moved his eyes from Eleven, who held his gaze expertly. On closer inspection, Rose noted that Eleven's irises were a fluorescent pink colour. Rose was startled for a moment until she reminded herself that fluorescent pink eyes was likely common this planet. Arocatia, she thought Makaidric had called it.

"Vortex? What vortex?" the Doctor asked.

Eleven appeared amused for a moment, until she realised that the Doctor was being serious. "It's the fourteenth of the month," she said slowly, clearly also beginning to feel confused. "Every fourteenth, King Ulbrech orders another attempt. I thought everyone knew that."

"We're from far away," the Doctor dismissed quickly. "What's the vortex for?"

"I am not aware of why. I have never been permitted to ask such a question."

"You have to have permission to ask a question?" Rose cut in, incredulously. "So, you can't even ask why the Kings are living it up in here and the rest of you live in squalor?"

"Arocatians want for nothing else."

Rose shared a disbelieving glance with the Doctor then opened her mouth to further insult the Kings of Arocatia. The Doctor gave her one sharp look, silencing her.

"If you'd like to follow me, I can show you to the pads." Eleven easily bounced back onto the soles of her feet and headed for the door, only briefly glancing over her shoulder to make sure Rose and the Doctor were following her.

As they stood, Rose moved closer to the Doctor to talk to him discreetly. "Doctor, everything about this planet is messed up. She's some kind of medically grown kid, the Kings are opening vortexes when they say their people can't read or write and they're letting their civilians live in poverty without being able to ask questions. It's wrong."

"I know it is, Rose, I know. But, something you learn as a Time Lord is that you can't right every wrong. We can't change this entire planet's way of life. While it might be wrong to us, it's what they know and we don't have the right to go about changing it." Rose opened her mouth to reply, but the Doctor cut her off. "Rose, I promise, if this vortex opening looks like it's going wrong, I'll try to help. I will."

Rose watched him for a moment as they walked behind Eleven, and then smiled gently. "Alright," she agreed half heartedly. Again, she watched him for a moment, then increased her pace so she fell into step next to the young girl in front of her. "Hi," she greeted.

"Ma'am."

"Oh, call me Rose. Rose is fine. What shall I call you?" the Londoner asked pleasantly.

"Eleven," the 'teen' replied matter-of-factly.

"But that's not much of a name, is it, Doctor?" Rose pressed, turning to face the Doctor with a bright smile. He rolled his eyes, not keen on getting involved in the conversation.

"What would you propose I be called then, Mr. Doctor?"

"It's just _the Doctor_, not Mr. Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Eleven repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep. Doctor comma the. Anyway... a name..."

"I think it should be something- fresh. Eleven's so bland; your name should be completely original and totally you... Elodie, I reckon."

"I thought you said 'fresh', not 'French'," the Doctor commented.

"I did. But I think Elodie's really nice. I was going to name a daughter Elodie, if I ever had one but Mickey weren't so keen. What d'ya reckon then?" she asked Eleven. "Elodie? Maybe shorten it to Elle if you like?"

Eleven watched Rose sceptically. "Whatever you'd like, ma'am... Rose," she corrected after a look from Rose.

Rose smiled happily, despite neither the newly christened Elodie or the Doctor smiling. The Doctor was in fact frowning and gazing at Rose with a look that she was sure was pity-like.

"What?" she asked him sharply.

"Rose... why did you give her a name?"

"What harm is there in a name? It's not like I've changed the course of the universe, just because I gave a poor little girl a real name and treated her like an actually human being," Rose answered heatedly.

"I just don't want you getting too attached. She's not a pet that you can bring home."

"I don't want to, Doctor. I just want some decent treatment for them."

Before the Doctor had a chance to reply, Rose had bounced forward again to speak to Elodie.

*****

The Doctor had started to head for the doors that had entered the castle through when 'Elodie' called out to him, "Not that way, Doctor."

He stopped and spun on his heel, looking quizzically at the other side. Solid wall. That's all there was, just solid green wall everywhere except where the corridor led to the bedrooms and where the main front doors were.

Elodie reached out a hand, gently wiping her palm across the Medalon. For a moment, nothing happened. The Doctor and Rose watched with mild curiosity until the wall began to move, making Rose jump backwards, towards the Doctor. He held out his hands to prevent her jumping on his feet, but didn't remove his eyes from Elodie's direction.

The wall was sliding backwards onto itself, revealing a door shaped hole, opening up to show a bright open space. Taking a cautious step forward, the Doctor tilted his head to see around the doorframe and into what he came to realise was a courtyard.

The grass, circular pads and robed individuals are blended in colour. The green was beginning to become an eyesore; so much so that Rose had to squint when she appeared beside the Doctor. Elodie was a few feet back from them, watching expectantly. Neither the Doctor nor Rose entered the courtyard any further, prompting Elodie to touch another part of the wall which also retreated onto itself. "Was it not enough room?" the teen asked politely.

Neither the Doctor nor Rose answered. Rose was watching the walls with intense curiosity, then turning her gaze of the men, who seemed to be the Kings, inside the courtyard. None of them made any inclination to suggest they had noticed the movement of the walls, or that Rose and the Doctor were supposed to enter.

The Doctor, on the other hand, was running his hand along the wall. It didn't move. "What did you do to it?" he asked Elodie. Rather that speak, she pressed her palm against the wall again, sending more of it moving. The Doctor tried to repeat the motion, though still nothing moved.

"How do you do it?"

"I told you; I am bred to serve the Kings. I am capable of that which is necessary," Elodie answered vaguely. She entered through the now large gap and waited patiently for the very confused Rose and Doctor to follow in behind her.

Still, none of the Kings looked around, even when Rose tripped over the bottom of the entrance, catapulting into the Doctor's back. He stumbled forwards, but regained himself, straightening his jacket and he stood to his full height.

"Hello!" he called brightly, thrusting his hands into his pockets. Rose stood beside him and smiled slightly.

"Hi," she whispered.

The Kings still did not make a movement. Eleven men stood in a circle, their hands reaching towards each other, though not actually touching with their heads bent as though in prayer.

Rose turned to look at Elodie. "What's up with them?"

"They are very much down on the ground," Elodie replied, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "I am not sure..."

"No, no, I mean- why are they ignoring us?"

"They are not. They cannot hear you when they are linked to the pad. If you wait a few moments, you will be permitted to talk."

The Doctor nodded his understanding, but Rose grumbled something under her breath and the idea of having to be 'permitted' to speak. For a few more moments, no one moved. Elodie remained watching the Kings, the Doctor stared ahead, his eyes narrowed towards the pads and Rose's eyes were spinning a million miles an hour, trying to take in all the features of the courtyard.

The eleven Kings all muttered a single word so quietly that the Doctor couldn't pick up what it was, then they turned to face the three who stood by the moving wall.

"The Doctor and Rose, my Lords," Elodie announced, bending into a low curtsy and addressing the Kings with her eyes firmly on the floor.

"Closer," one of the oldest barked at the Doctor and Rose. His hair was stripped of all colour and reached a staggering way down to the backs of his knees. A beard covered his mouth and chin, reaching down to the middle of his chest. He stood easily taller than the rest of the Kings. Rose and the Doctor both got the idea that this man was the leader of the Kings, despite Makaidric's insistence that all of the Kings ruled equally.

The Doctor and Rose did as instructed, moving cautiously closer to the circle of Kings, though Elodie remained where she was. As Rose peeked over her shoulder to see if the girl was following them, she saw her retreat back through the wall. "Aren't you coming?" Rose called.

"No."

Rose had expected a slightly longer sentence, though Elodie didn't even face Rose to talk to her. The Londoner shrugged and turned back to face the Kings. "Hi," she greeted feebly, seeing them all looking intently at her.

"You are human," the aged King spoke. "And you are not," he added, looking at the Doctor.

"How'd you know?" Rose asked immediately.

"My people are human. I can recognise a human among other species." The King was speaking with distinct superiority that was putting Rose off more by the second. She hadn't noticed what the Doctor had.

"They're human? As in from Earth?"

Rose caught on to the Doctor's meaning.

"Yes. They come directly from Earth," the King answered vaguely.

"What year is this?" Rose asked.

"In Earth years or our own?"

"Earth."

"2034."

"2034?" The Doctor repeated incredulously. Then his eyes narrowed again and his accusatory manner took over. "You took them."

"They did what?" Rose cut in, turning to face the Doctor. Still, none of the Kings made any inclination to suggest that anything going on even remotely involved them.

"They _took _humans from Earth. There's no way humans could travel and colonise another planet by 2034. Not a chance. What do you do? Harvest them every now and then?" the Doctor spat.

"On the contrary Doctor. Our ancestors only ever visited Earth once; many, many years ago. From there, they took a group of humans from a small area and brought them back here, to our planet. They reproduced and kept the population stable."

"Why?" the Doctor demanded. "Why did they take them? What right did they have to human life?"

"Why do you care so much, Doctor? You are not of their world," the King replied.

"No, but I am," Rose cut in furiously. "So tell _me. _Why?"

"Do you wish to witness the attempt?" he asked, ignoring Rose's question and turning his back of the two of them to walk back to the other Kings.

"Oi!" Rose yelled. "I want an answer, mate, and you're gonna give it to me!"

The King stopped walking and looked back at her. "Rose, wasn't it? I am King Ulbrech and as King, I do not recall ever giving you permission to speak in my presence."

"Think that's gonna shut me up, do you? I'm not one of your subjects who can't ever look at your face and I certainly do need _permission _to talk. So you listen to me, you-" Rose was working herself up into a complete tirade, until the Doctor rested a hand on her arm gently.

"Rose," he whispered, leaning in close to her ear so that the Kings couldn't here. "There's obviously something going on here, but we're not going to get anything out of them by having a lair, alright? Just let me do the talking."

Rose breathed deeply for a moment, but nodded her head. "Alright, fine."

The Doctor smiled warmly and squeezed Rose's hand. "Right," he said loudly, breaking Ulbrech's gaze away from Rose. "What are you actually attempting to do?"

"Open the vortex," Ulbrech replied.

The Doctor sighed at his vagueness. "Yes, yes, I understand that. I mean, what does the vortex do?"

Ulbrech raised an eyebrow slowly, watching the Doctor with a sort of amused boredom. The Doctor, growing impatient, added, "I think we've established that we're not from around here, so enlighten us!"

Ulbrech's smile began to grow, though to Rose it looked more sinister than it did friendly. "The vortex may do many things."

The Doctor looked as though he was going to have a mental breakdown. "Are you going to give me a decent answer, or not?"

"Bear witness and perhaps you will receive your answers."

The Doctor huffed, crossed his arms and snarled, then turned on his heel to face the two pads. Rose smiled despite herself at the Doctor's childlike behaviour; she knew that part of him wanted to stomp all the way back to the TARDIS and leave the difficult King behind, but the other part was just far too curious about what the pads would do.

The pads in question were spaced about ten metres away from each other. Just as Rose had expected, the Doctor didn't manage to stand still, waiting for the opening attempt: he uncrossed his arms and moved closer to the circular pads, finally doing what he'd been waiting to do.

With just a quick inspection, the Doctor could not decipher much about the pads. They were the same glittering green as practically everything else the Doctor and Rose had seen since arriving in the castle. It appeared as though they were made from bricks made of Medalon and curved easily to make their circular shape. In the middle of each pad was a sparking gem of Medalon in its purest form.

The Doctor was getting deeper and deeper into his thoughts as he continued to inspect the pads. He ran a hand over the green bricks and felt a slight electrical pulse pass through his hand. He removed it and stared at the palm, as if waiting for something to happen, then continued to circle the pads. He was only brought out of his own thoughts when Rose appeared beside him and tapped his shoulder gently.

"Doctor? Doctor, they want you to move. They're about to start."

*****

**A/N:**** Cliff hanger! Well, sort of. Anyway, some of you might notice what seems like a discrepancy between this chapter and the first, but that's intentional. Just to let you know, if you notice.**

**I do apologise for the delay between chapters. I actually started writing this one two days ago; I kept getting sidetracked. I tried to take out some dialogue and put in more narrative in this chapter, so I hoped it worked well.**

**I'd love some reviews to tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** I'd love you guys to let me know if you're enjoying this because I'm having a ball writing it. I even have ideas for a sequel already, if any of you are interested. The inconsistency from the last chapter isn't really important, it's just that I didn't want people to think that I can't keep track. **

*********

Neither the Doctor nor Rose expected the shot of electricity that flew upwards from both pads. It was as green as everything else and nearly blinding. The startled Doctor looked around sharply and saw one of the Kings pulling a lever. He looked back at the electricity that had joined in the middle of the pads, forming a green arc, towering high over all of them on the floor. The sight was so beautiful; the Doctor and Rose couldn't tear their eyes away. The light of the arc spread out, covering the area of sky immediately above it; the sky was turning the same dazzling green...

"Stop!" The Doctor screamed. Rose was ripped out of her reverie and watched in shock as the Doctor dived forward towards Ulbrech, the King closest to the arc. Ulbrech span around with speed and grace not normal for a man of his age, pushing the Doctor away from him. The Doctor stumbled backwards with his arms flailing over his head. His right hand swiped through the green arc beside him.

"No!" Ulbrech yelled. The Doctor fell to the floor, grasping his hand. The pain was excruciating. The Doctor prided himself on his pain management in situations like this; he'd been through hell and survived, he'd even had that very hand cut off and regrown, but he'd never felt a pain like this. It was as though some invisible force had just spread thrown his hand and ripped every single nerve from its place, thrown them together in a blender then shredded his hand.

As soon as the Doctor had come into contact with the arc, the electrical charge seemed to blow. The arc broke, sending the green jet into the sky. After a few seconds, it disappeared entirely. The jewels imbedded in the centre of the pads had been flashing a dangerously dark shade of green, but was now calming back down to how it had been before the arc had formed.

Rose rushed forward, practically out of instinct, and held the Doctor's wrist, keeping it away from him. The Doctor winced gently when Rose thumbed the back of his hand. There was no mark, but the Doctor could still feel the pain.

"Are you alright?" Rose whispered.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, wincing again as he did so.

"No you're not. What's wrong?"

"My hand... I don't know."

Rose looked startled for a moment. "It's weird hearing you say that. You always know."

Before the Doctor had a chance to reply, Ulbrech was towering over them, his face glowering with rage. "How dare you?!" he demanded.

Despite his obvious pain, the Doctor stood immediately, drawing himself up to his full height and staring Ulbrech in the eye. "Do you have _any _idea what you're doing?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"We know plenty, sir! Who do you think you are to be ordering us?!"

"I'm the man who just stopped you destroying your own planet!"

"Hold your tongue, sir, or I'll-"

Before Ulbrech could tell the Doctor would he would do if the Doctor didn't shut up, Makaidric had stepped in between the two men. He rested both hands on Ulbrech's shoulders, calming the aging man.

"He's not from here, Ulbrech. He doesn't know. Let me take him back to his room."

"You'd best educate him then, Makai. Before _I _have to."

Makaidric nodded quickly. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes, only for a moment, then he returned to his usual manner. He huddled his arms around Rose and the Doctor, ushering them back through the moving wall. All the way backwards, the Doctor didn't take his eyes off Ulbrech.

*****

It wasn't until they were back in their room that Rose finally asked the Doctor what she'd been waiting to ask.

"Doctor, what went on back there?"

The Doctor laughed though there was little mirth evident. "They have no idea what they're doing. Ulbrech thinks he knows, but he's just some stupid, stupid man who's going to kill everyone."

"What?" Rose asked, still confused. "Doctor, what do you mean?"

"That arc, you saw it, yes?" he asked hurriedly.

"Of course. It was a bit hard to miss."

"That was Medalon. They're using the natural charge of the jewels in the centre of the pads to enhance the charge of the bricks that the pads are made from to form the arc.

"What? Why? What's the arc for?" Rose continued to ask, becoming more confused by the second.

"As soon as you start morphing Medalon into another shape, it loses some of its natural energy. Not that much, but enough to prevent what Ulbrech wants to do. The gems have enough power on their own, but they won't form the arc that the Kings need...But what for? Oh! No wonder the TARDIS got pulled here; it's not surprising!" The Doctor had stopped talking to Rose a long while ago. He was just thinking aloud.

"Doctor, slow down and tell me what's going on. I don't understand!"

"The Kings have been using _excessive _amounts of Medalon who knows how many times and for who knows what, but that energy can do so many things! They're ripping holes in space and time and I don't think they even know it!"

"They're doing _what_?!" Rose screeched, her panic levels rising.

"We fell through one of the holes; they must have been using the pads earlier."

"But Doctor, Elodie said they only open them once a month. On the fourteenth. I'm pretty sure she meant that now was the only time they open it today."

The Doctor sat down slowly on a Medalon chair, his hand still cradled in his lap. He didn't speak. Rose knelt next to him and gently took his hand closer to her again. "Doctor, please tell me what's wrong with it."

"I really don't know, Rose. It hit the arc. I've never had contact with Medalon before; I don't know what it can do to the body. Judging by the amount of energy it harbours, I'd say it can't be anything good."

The door creaked open again from behind them. Elodie was entering, looking slightly more worse for wear than she had before, but smiling dutifully nonetheless. "Are you alright?" Rose asked immediately, sensing something wasn't right.

"I'm fine," the young girl lied. "Would you or the Doctor require anything? I'd be more than happy to get it for you."

"No, no, that's fine. But... Elodie, do you know much about Medalon?" Rose asked, eyeing the girl curiously. The Doctor was silent, clearly listening intently.

"As much as any other citizen, I suppose. Might I ask why?"

"Do you know what it can do to human tissue, if it comes into contact?"

"It depends," Elodie replied. "_How _did it come into contact?"

The Doctor gave Rose a look that clearly told her not to say anything, but she ignored him. Rose reached back out for his hand and displayed it to Elodie.

"The Doctor. He touched that arc thing that your Kings keep conjuring up and he's been in agony since."

Elodie looked at the Doctor's hand with mild interest then touched it gently. Rather than flinch as he had at Rose's touch, the Doctor sighed in relief. The girl's touch was like an ice pack on a flaming limb... such comfort.

The sudden removal of the relief shocked the Doctor. He opened his eyes, not even realising he had shut them.

"The Medalon is burning the tissue in your hand," Elodie stated matter-of-factly.

"Is there anything we can do?" Rose asked desperately.

"Oh yes. If you wish."

"I definitely wish," the Doctor cut in through gritted teeth, feeling the horrible pain return to his hand. It was slowly beginning to creep up his arm, towards his elbow.

Elodie nodded her head in compliance then rested her hand back on the Doctor's wrist. Again he felt the cool relief spreading through him. For a few moments, he relished it, feeling completely at peace... without warning a sudden spasm shook his entire body, knocking him off the chair. Elodie wasn't concerned; she kept her grip on his wrist, her own eyes closing.

Rose was beginning to panic. "Doctor? Doctor! Are you alright? Elodie, what are you doing?!"

Neither of them replied. Rose bent down immediately and grasped at where the Doctor and Elodie were connected. Rather than being able to separate the two of them, Rose received a nasty electric shock that definitely encouraged her to _not _do that again.

For a few more moments, Rose watched in desperation as the Doctor shuddered and Elodie held on tightly. Then, as suddenly as it had all begun, it stopped. The Doctor's eyes sprung open and Elodie let go of his wrist. He sat up immediately, looking startled, but the girl didn't even acknowledge that anything had happened.

The Doctor flexed his hand experimentally but found that it was exactly as it had been before it touched the arc. He was fine.

"Thank you," he whispered to Elodie. She lightly nodded her head. "What did you do?"

"I absorbed the Medalon."

Even Rose knew enough of the substance by now to be concerned. "But won't that hurt you, like it was doing to the Doctor?"

"No, I shall be fine," Elodie smiled pleasantly to them both. "Neither of you require anything?"

"No," the Doctor answered quickly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No, we're fine, thank you."

Elodie nodded once more, curtsied low and left the room silently. Rose turned to the Doctor with nothing but confusion on her face. "What the _hell _is going on?" she demanded.

"Did you see her eyes?" The Doctor asked Rose, his own eyes still firmly on the spot that Elodie had just left.

"What d'ya mean?"

"They were bright pink! Did you find that the slightest bit odd?"

"I thought that was a common eye colour on this planet," Rose defended. "Why? What does it mean?"

"Pink is a sign of mixture."

"A mixture of what?"

"Pigmentation and Medalon," he answered quietly... so many things were falling into place.

"She's got Medalon in her eyes?!"

"Not just her eyes... Remember how we thought she'd been born at that age using the power of Medalon? We were wrong. She's not made from the power of Medalon; she's made _out of _Medalon. She is essentially a living form of Medalon and you can't begin to comprehend how dangerous that is."

"Dangerous?" Rose repeated. "Doctor, she just saved your life. The Medalon was burning you from the inside out and she stopped it!"

"And surely that should give you a clue on how much power she has! I'm a Time Lord and that was killing _me, _yet a little girl from a backwater planet can suck it out like venom from a wound and suffer no ill effects? It's not right, Rose," the Doctor ranted. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you notice anything else?"

"No, what?" Rose asked, starting to get slightly irritated that the Doctor clearly knew more about the situation than she did.

"The Kings- did you notice anything?"

"I was paying a bit more attention to the giant pads that were generating huge arcs, funnily enough," Rose replied sarcastically.

The Doctor sighed and ran his repaired hand through his hair. "There were only eleven. Makaidric told us there were twelve Kings of Arocatia."

"Maybe one of them just couldn't make it?" Rose suggested feebly.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly, showing exactly what he thought of that suggestion.

"Right," Rose agreed. "So we've got a disappearing King and a little girl with worlds of power. This day just keeps getting better."

The Doctor chuckled gently. "You've got to admit, though. We have some great adventures."

Rose allowed a small smile to grace her face and sat beside the Doctor on the bed. "How are we going to make the bed work? There's only one of them," Rose pointed out.

The Doctor peered at the bed underneath him for a moment. "Tops and tails," he answered with a childish smile. "Besides, I only want to stick around long enough to make sure Ulbrech doesn't destroy the Universe. After that it's back to the TARDIS with us!"

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when the door opened again. This time it was being forced roughly and slammed against the inside wall. It was not the way Elodie entered a room. The Doctor and Rose both looked over sharply to see Ulbrech entering the room, his face glowering with rage.

"What did you do?!" he screamed, making Rose jump.

"W-what?" she stuttered. "What d'you mean?"

"YOU!" he yelled in the Doctor's face. "What have you done to my people?!"

The Doctor looked as confused as Rose (for once) and couldn't think up a response for the irate King. After a few seconds pause, he finally managed to get out, "What's happening?"

"You know what! They're dying!"

*****

**A/N:**** As per usual, I'd love some reviews. They make me smile lots! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**** Come on guys, write me some reviews! They're awesome! But besides that, I noticed I haven't actually written a disclaimer on any of these chapters, so...**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Doctor Who or anything you recognise. It's all property of the BBC, yada, yada. I make no profit from any of this... you guys get it, right?**

*****

As soon as the word 'dying' had left Ulbrech's lips, the Doctor was already hurtling out of the room. Rose was hot on his heels and the two skidded around the corner, heading for the door they had entered the Palace through.

The Doctor threw it open and ran as fast as his Converse covered feet would let him. Rose was falling behind, not being able to run as fast as the Doctor, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes rotated around and around as soon as he entered the market place.

It was the stark opposite to how it had been when the time travellers had first arrived. It was as good as deserted with just a few people trudging back to their houses, appearing to be in considerable pain. Ulbrech was attempting to catch up with them, though he was still far back due to his severe lack of running skills. His sandaled feet were kicking up the dirt from the floor while he clung to the robes covering his large stomach.

"Don't get too close!" he called when the Doctor began to approach the ailing man a few feet away from him.

"Oh shut up," the Doctor ordered over his shoulder. His steps were slow and cautious. He tried to peer under the man's hood, but he could see nothing. "Hello," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"

Either the man couldn't hear him, or the Doctor was being ignored. The man continued to shuffle away, heading for the door on the side of the mountain. "Excuse me. I'm the Doctor. I can help," he promised. The man's feet stopped. For the first time he appeared to be able to hear.

"A doctor?" he croaked out. His head did not move; he was still facing the door and he didn't lower his hood.

"Yep, that's right. Doctor. Can you lower the hood so I can check you over?" he requested gently.

"I can't," the man whispered back, turning to face the Doctor but keeping his head inclined so he couldn't see the man's face.

"You can. It's alright. Whatever's wrong, I can help."

"Doctor!" Ulbrech called in his most deep, commanding voice. "Doctor, I order you to step away from him. He is contaminated!"

The Doctor turned to face Ulbrech, anger evident in his eyes. "Listen to _me_, Ulbrech. If I've caused this, like you're suggesting, I'm bloody well going to fix it. So shut up!"

Ulbrech looked outraged that a mere civilian had dared to speak to the Great King in such a way and opened his mouth to again argue with the Doctor. Rose shot him a death glare before he could. "Oi. He said shut up, alright. So zip it."

The Doctor turned his attention back to the mysterious man and gently reached out to pull the hood down. Once it was down, it took all of the Doctor's self control not to jump backwards. No wonder the poor man was in so much pain...

His face was covered in red blotches, looking as though someone had thrown boiling water over him. The whites of his eyes had turned red and his hands were in the same state as his face. "What happened to you?" the Doctor asked.

The man looked down at the ground, seemingly ashamed of his appearance. "Hey, hey, it's alright," the Doctor soothed, though he didn't touch him. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I can!" Ulbrech cut in roughly. "_You _did this, sir! Ever since you interrupted our experiment, this has started happening!"

The Doctor turned sharply on his heel to glare at Ulbrech. "_Be quiet_!" he hissed. Ulbrech had the sense to shut his mouth and remain silent beside Rose, who was also glaring at him.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked, turning back to the man.

"Luican," he replied, nearly at a whisper, his eyes still firmly held to the floor.

"Right Luican, can you tell me what happened?" he repeated.

Finally Luican returned his gaze to the Doctor's face. "It only started a little while ago. Everyone was suddenly in pain. My entire body felt as though it was on fire. Then it carried on getting worse until I looked like this," he explained.

"On fire..." the Doctor repeated. He looked down at the hand that had been feeling the same not so long ago.

_Oh God, what if this _is _my fault? What if I'm killing these people?_

"Can you help me?" Luican pleaded. The Doctor looked around at Rose. She was as stumped as him; there was nothing either of them could do.

"Oh Luican, I'm so, so sorry..." the Doctor trailed off as Rose leaned against his shoulder to whisper in his ear.

"What about Elodie? Maybe she could help?"

"We can't let her absorb any more Medalon. She's too much of a danger as it is."

Rose sighed. "So there's nothing we can do to help them?"

The Doctor didn't say a word, but that was enough of an answer for Rose.

"So many have died," Luican continued. "My son..."

Rose felt the tears prickle in her eyes; she was stunned to see Ulbrech examining his own hand, completely unconcerned.

"Can you take me to them?" the Doctor requested.

Ulbrech's head shot up at hearing his words. "What?! We can't possibly go near them!"

"Go back then," the Doctor answered, not looking at the King. "If you don't want to come, go back to your Palace and leave us in peace."

Ulbrech wasted no time in hurrying back to the glittering building they had just left, throwing a fearful look over his shoulder as he went.

"Come," Luican beckoned, leading them towards the door in the side of the mountain. Rose hung back a little when the approached the door. The Doctor turned and held out a hand to her, but she refused to take it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That door was open earlier and when I went in there... it didn't feel right, Doctor."

"Scared of the bogeyman?" the Doctor teased with a light smile. Rose still gave the door an unease glance. "I'll keep you safe, I promise."

Rose reached out and gripped his hand tightly. "Alright," she agreed.

Luican pulled open the door and headed into the room, glancing over his shoulder briefly to make sure Rose and the Doctor were still following him. Beyond the door was a thin tunnel that just barely allowed Rose and the Doctor to walk beside each other.

There were lamps hanging from the roof, brushing precariously against the top of the Doctor's head. Had Luican been able to stand up straight, the Doctor was sure he would have been even more uncomfortable.

In the dim light, Luican's face and eyes looked more frightening than before. They were walking for only a few moments, when they came to a slightly wider clearing. Rocks were littered around so there was little more room in the clearing than there was in the tunnel. Many people were slouched against the rocks, suffering from the same ailment as Luican. Their skin was red and blotchy and their eyes were red; some were further gone- their faces had split and were bleeding in various places.

"Oh my God," Rose whispered. The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver to loosen the bolts that were holding one of the lamps to the room. He pulled it down and held it forward so they could see down the tunnel.

There seemed to be hundreds of Arocatians stretching down the tunnel, all of them laying painfully against the walls and in the same state as Luican.

"Doctor, what's happening to them?"

"What happened to me. The Medalon's burning them from the inside out. But why's it so much worse than it was to me?" he mused aloud.

"Because you're a Time Lord?" Rose suggested.

"No, no, that's not it. Trust me, Medalon doesn't distinguish between species. Everyone gets it as bad as anyone else. Hold on..."

The Doctor waved the sonic over Luican, peering curiously at him as he did. Luican looked mildly concerned but didn't fight away, likely from not being able to due to the pain he was in. Rose watched, waiting for the Doctor to finish.

When he removed the sonic, the Doctor seemed momentarily confused. Then Rose saw the look descend over him that he got when so much suddenly made sense. "What?" she asked hurriedly.

"A cold," the Doctor replied with a stunned laugh. Rose's face scrunched up as she attempted to understand as well.

"He has a cold," the Doctor elaborated. "Remember when you had one a little while ago?"

Rose remembered vaguely having the sniffles a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't thought much on it. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well I was around you, wasn't I? Me, being my super awesome self, didn't get ill but I'm likely carrying it. I touched the arc and transmitted it across the entire planet. Medalon works in mysterious ways."

"I still don't see what having a cold has to do with this..."

"Well a cold's just a cold, isn't it... to us. To us, it's not really much harm. These people live on a planet on the other side of the galaxy, a cold to them could be like the plague. The added attack of a cold on the system, plus the Medalon has just increased the pace that the Medalon burns at."

"So how did the Medalon get into their systems?" Rose asked, beginning to understand a little more.

"I'm willing to bet that the fact this started moments after I touched the arc isn't a coincidence. This _is _my fault."

For a moment, there was silence. Rose didn't want to say anything and the Doctor was lost in his own thoughts.

_I really did. I'm responsible for killing so many of these people..._

It was Luican who finally cut in. "Doctor, can you help us?" he asked feebly and pitifully. The Doctor to face the man. His lips fell down into a frown and his eyes clearly told the answer.

"Luican, I'm so, _so_, sorry. I want to be able to help. I just... I can't."

Luican's head fell forward so that his chin rested on his chest and he heaved a great sigh. "Perhaps that is good for me," he finally said. "I will be with my son again."

Rose reached out a hand immediately towards Luican, but the Doctor quickly grabbed her wrist. "Don't," he whispered. "You'll just cause him more pain."

The Doctor himself wanted to comfort Luican but knew all too well what it would feel like if he did. Instead, he dipped down his head and continued down the tunnel. He'd only gone a few steps when Rose called out to him.

"Doctor! Come and look at this!"

He sighed and turned back around to where Rose was. She was staring down at the rocks with a curious expression.

"What?" he asked.

"Look at that. Do you see that?" she pointed down at the rocks.

The Doctor quickly whipped his glasses out of his suit pocket and pushed them up the bridge of his nose. He bent down and ran a hand over the rocks. Indeed, it was what he thought it was. There were small glittering, green stones imbedded in the rock that looked suspiciously like-

"Medalon," the Doctor confirmed aloud to Rose. Instantly, he turned to face Luican and jumped up. "Luican? Why are you all in here?"

"This is where we work," Luican replied. He had sunk to the ground and was speaking so softly that it was hard to hear him.

"Why are you still here?!" Rose asked incredulously. "I think_ this _will get you sick leave."

"There is no sick leave. We work when we are expected to work and we are expected to work now."

Again, the Doctor's realisation face was apparent. "You mine the Medalon, don't you?" Luican nodded. "The Kings ancestors came to this planet because it has a natural supply of Medalon and they stole humans to mine it for them. They've been doing this for centuries..."

The Doctor trailed off, staring down the tunnel. He dropped the lamp that he had been holding and ran down it, avoiding all of the Arocatians who were laying on the ground.

"Doctor!" Rose called after him in surprise. When he didn't make any indication of stopping Rose hurried after him. When she caught up, he had reached the end of the tunnel which opened up to a large cavern. In the pit were hordes of rocks which had been axed out of the surrounding cavern, which was also made of the same Medalon imbedded rocks.

Just as soon as Rose had caught up to him, clutching a stitch in her side, the Doctor turned on his heel and skidded back down the way they had come, heading for the door.

"Oh seriously!" Rose exclaimed. After a moment's breather, she took off after him again.

The Doctor didn't stop running until he had reached the door of the mountain. Rose caught up with him a couple of minutes later, still clutching her side and breathing deeply.

"Doctor, what are you doing?"

"They blame me for causing all these deaths and they're working them to death anyway! I want to know what they need that Medalon for and I want to know NOW!"

The Doctor's walk of rage back towards the Palace was stopped by the approach of nine of the Kings. Ulbrech led the pack, looking thoroughly pleased with himself but the other eight appeared quite uncomfortable.

"Ah, Mr Doctor, Miss Rose. Good of you to make this easy on us," Ulbrech began. "You arrive on our planet and interrupt the running of our state. Then you commit an act of war in the killing of, so far, 60 percent of our population. There is only one punishment you deserve. Death."

*****

**A/N:**** Go on, write a review! You know you want to!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**** I offer you, dear readers, my hugest apologies at the late chapter. I had intended to put this up a week ago, but since last Friday my computer was being a complete bugger. It's been fixed so I shouldn't have any week long gaps between chapters anymore. Besides that, there's only a couple of chapters left. As per usual, I hope you enjoy the chapter and I'd love some reviews when you're done.**

*********

The Doctor would have liked to have been able to say that he had a plan forming in his mind immediately. A brilliantly daring plan that would save his and Rose's hides from the death penalty while being his completely charming self. In fact, the events that occurred immediately after Ulbrech began to advance on the two of them happened so fast that neither of them could quite make sense of it.

Directly behind the ever decreasing number of Kings, the lower left side of the palace exploded. The explosion was close enough and loud enough to send all them diving to the floor. The Doctor threw his arm over Rose's head for protection and used his other to cover his own skull. Rose screamed as she dropped to the floor, though all of the Kings were a lot less dignified.

When they stood, the Kings' robes were dirt covered, as was the Doctor's suit and Rose's jeans. Rose and the Doctor both brushed themselves down quickly, but Ulbrech was even more enraged than he had been to begin with.

"I touched the floor!" he screamed, advancing further towards the duo. "What have you done?!"

The Doctor was going to reply, but another explosion sounded just to their side. The door that had led into the cavern was completely crushed as the mountain collapsed. Rose let out a startled cry as the Doctor pulled her away as quickly as possible. "Move!" he yelled.

The Doctor knew there was no way possible they could move far enough in the few seconds they had before the entire mountain crumbled down. The dust from the bottom was already beginning to choke up Rose's throat and blind her, but she carried on running after the Doctor anyway. His left hand was gripping her right one while his other hand was held up in front of his eyes to allow some kind of visibility.

The Kings began to scream behind them, the gravity of what was happening finally hitting them, and ran after the Doctor and Rose. Ulbrech was the furthest behind, not being as agile on his feet as the others.

When the Doctor felt another hand grip his right arm, he assumed it was one of the Kings grasping at him desperately. He was far too concentrated on getting Rose away from the mountain to bother shaking the man off. It was only when his throat was suddenly clearer and he could see the bright light surround him that he took notice of the person hanging off of him.

It was Elodie.

Rose opened her eyes when she could not longer feel bits of debris hitting her back and appeared as stunned as the Doctor. They were no longer on the stone pathway beside the mountain that led towards the Palace. They were on the grassy bank beside the TARDIS and the docked spaceships.

"What happened?" Rose choked out. She coughed several times to clear her airways of the dust then looked expectantly at the young girl. Elodie didn't answer; she looked as confused as the rest of them.

The Doctor was watching her as though the entire meaning of life had just made sense to him. A small smile played on his lips, but Rose could tell it was not one of happiness or relief; it was a smile of pity.

"…"

"What's that?" Rose asked, confused.

"It's what they used to tell us on Gallifrey. When we were being taught at the Academy, Medalon was the centre focal point. To give you the cliff notes version, it's what makes the TARDIS go. I told you Medalon has all sorts of powerful properties. With the Kings using it in the amounts they are, it rips holes in space and time, but when you have…" the Doctor trailed off and glanced furtively over to Elodie. Elodie appeared just as curious as Rose but looked away as soon as she saw the Doctor's eyes move towards her. "Just one minute," the Doctor said to her quickly and politely, holding up one finger.

He gently tugged Rose's sleeve so she moved to side with him, and then bent forward to talk to only her.

"The amount of Medalon in her is spread throughout her cells," the Doctor explained. "It's not the same as having an entire Palace made out of just that; she's got flesh and bone."

"So she's _not _dangerous?"

"Oh, no, she's very dangerous," the Doctor contradicted. He peered over Rose's shoulder to see Elodie watching the TARDIS with a sort of mild curiosity. The Doctor turned back to look at Rose, wanting to wrap this explanation up quickly. "She's literally like a TARDIS, in a person. She could tap into her Medalon and space or time travel. Just by thinking about it… She can't be let anywhere near the TARDIS."

"But you've seen her," Rose argued, not satisfied with the notion that this little girl could ever be as dangerous as the Doctor was making out. "If she can do anything, why is she living like a slave for those Kings?"

"I doubt she knows she can do anything. I assume the Kings would have made sure Elodie believed she was useless… couldn't risk her getting ideas."

"Bastards," Rose cursed. "Who do they think they are? What right do they have to do this to people?"

The Doctor sighed. "They believe they've got every right. You've got to remember, Rose, this has been happening for maybe thousands of years. These Kings are bred to rule and the townspeople are bred to work. It's how their system works."

"Well it's wrong."

"Who are we to decide that? We've not even been here a day… admittedly, I don't agree with Ulbrech's methods, but that doesn't make him evil. Perhaps he doesn't even really understand what he's doing."

Rose looked unconvinced. "In any case, we've got to figure out what's going on back in the town," the Doctor continued, speaking louder again so that Elodie was no longer excluded from the conversation. "Maybe we could start with those ships."

*****

Rose, Elodie and the Doctor all inspected the mystery crafts with a keen eye, looking out for anything that might tell them who or where they had come from. "Elodie, what do you know about them?" Rose asked with a polite smile.

"Not much. I just know they're wreckage from many years ago."

The Doctor wasn't taking note of the two girls; he was still running his hands along the ship beside him. All of the ships were identical: they were medium in size, about fifty feet long and thirty feet wide, but the Doctor knew not to anything's size as an indication of its power. The TARDIS, for example, or maybe even Elodie…

They were all made of a dirty yellow metal with wings sprouting from about halfway back. There was no way to see inside the ship- no windscreen or any type of windows. It was completely shut off inside. Rose and Elodie continued to move around the other ship, Rose watching it with suspicious eyes as though it would come to life any moment.

The Doctor, not satisfied with not seeing anything, slid under the wing of the ship, examining the hull. Rose and Elodie moved to watch him as he ran his hands over the metal. The Doctor was silent for a couple of minutes, laying on his back and inspecting.

"Ah ha!"

"What?" Rose asked immediately.

"Found something. Come have a look."

Elodie remained where she stood, but Rose crouched down and slid under the ship. When the Doctor pointed it out, she could clearly see the Medalon crystal imbedded in the hull of the ship.

On impulse, Rose reached out and gently rubbed the tip of it. The Doctor groaned as soon as she had, for it lit up a startling bright green. "What did I do?" Rose asked quickly.

"I'm not sure…"

Both of them remained still for a moment, waiting to see if anything happened. Nothing. The ship didn't explode and neither did Rose or the Doctor. Behind them, however, was a low, continuous growl. Rose's eyes widened as she glanced at the Doctor. He held up a finger to his lips. "Shh…"

"Doctor? Rose?" Elodie called out. "Come out very slowly," she instructed, her voice sharp.

Again, Rose looked to the Doctor for some kind of instruction on what to do. He shook his head so slightly, Rose wasn't sure at first if she had actually seen anything.

"Rose!" Elodie called again as the growling continued. "You must both come out very slowly. Trust me."

Rose looked at that Doctor with an expression clearly meaning, 'I trust her. Do you trust me?'. The Doctor nodded and gently began to pull himself out from under the ship, Rose following behind him. When the Doctor was stood straight and had caught sight of their situation, he pressed Rose back against the spaceship, as far as he could.

An animal, seemingly similar to a tiger, was prowling before them. It was the source of the growling- its beady black eyes watched the Doctor's and Rose's every slight move, its nose twitching and its teeth bared. The only actual difference between this animal and an Earth tiger was its fur: it had the white and purple fur that lined the floors of the Palace.

The Doctor made a move to reach inside his pocket, perhaps for the sonic screwdriver, but Elodie held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. There's more," she informed them, pointing into the trees just behind them. The light from the sun was dimming, so the most Rose and the Doctor could see was the ears and eyes of the creatures prowling the tree line.

The animal closest to the three of them reared back on its hind legs and dived, heading straight for Rose. The Doctor fumbled around in his pockets, hoping to find something. When he didn't (save for a banana that he carried for emergencies) he resorted to grabbing Rose around the waist and dragging her out of the creature's path.

As it turned out, he needn't have bothered. The animal was dead before it would have come in contact with Rose. Elodie span, with lighting fast motions, pulling a small, two pronged danger out from the inside lining of her clothes. She threw it with expert precision, piercing through the animal's neck. It dropped to the floor in mid-jump, sending vibrations right along to Rose and the Doctor.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the three animals that had been lurking in the trees pounced, heading for the three who stood by the ship. Elodie didn't miss a beat. She ripped the dagger from the neck of the dead creature and sent it spinning at the animal leading the others. It too dropped dead. The other two hung back slightly, but Elodie didn't give them a chance to move backwards or approach. Pulling another dagger from her clothing, she shot both at the creatures. When she was done, four of the animals lay dead around them.

Elodie crouched down by the nearest one and gently, almost lovingly, stroked its fur.

"What are they?" the Doctor asked.

"Infrigiters. They live in the woods. They don't usually attack."

"But… wh…" Rose seemed too shocked to even compose a sentence. The Doctor, however, had a resolute glare on his face.

"This planet is dying," he said solemnly. "But before it goes, I'm getting answers."

*****

**A/N:**** Sorry it's not as long as usual. I wanted to leave it there for the next (last!) chapter though. All the answers will come out in the next chapter, which should be up on Thursday, assuming I don't have anymore problems. **

**On a complete side note… I'm not sure if any of you care (or, in fact, know what I'm talking about in the case of my readers abroad) but I'm in an exceptionally good mood now! Manchester United (my football [or soccer, if you prefer] team) won the Carling Cup today! Praise to Sir Alex. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**** Again, I apologise for the late chapter. I'm having some significant computer problems at the moment (which are driving me nutty!) but hopefully they're all sorted now… *prays* **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Review if you can, it'd be lovely!**

*********

The Doctor didn't dare ask Elodie to teleport them back to the Palace. He couldn't risk her opening up whatever dormant powers she had or alerting Elodie to the fact that she could control time and space… Ignorance is bliss.

Rose could hardly believe while walking back with Elodie's hand firmly clasped in hers that she and the Doctor had only done this that morning, just a few hours before all this had happened.

The walk was brief as the three of them took a very brisk walk back towards the ever flattening city. All that was left of the market place was broken wood from stalls and rubble.

"This is it," the Doctor whispered to himself as he squatted down in the dirt. The Time Lord scooped up the debris in his hand and left it sift through his fingers. "This is all there ever is… when I make my mark."

He shut his eyes at the feel of Rose's hand grasping his shoulder. "Doctor… it's not your fault."

"Of course it is," he bit back sharply. "If I hadn't come here, these people would still be alive. All of them."

Rose couldn't think of a response. Lie to him and say they wouldn't? No… the Doctor knew the truth. The Doctor stood abruptly, striding with a purpose towards the palace.

"Elodie?" he called over his shoulder. "Where are the other Kings?" Elodie mouth stayed resolutely shut. "Elodie?" the Doctor called again.

"I am not permitted to speak about it, Doctor. King Ulbrech forbade me."

Rose was startled by the Doctor turning sharply and grabbing Elodie roughly by the shoulders. Ever after so long with him, Rose wasn't surprised that the spaceman still had ways of surprising her.

Elodie recoiled slightly at the physical approach and winced at the pain that shot through her arms.

"Where are they?" the Doctor demanded. Elodie didn't answer, she wriggled under the Doctor's grip, trying to release herself. "Where are they?!"

"Doctor!" Rose yelled, pulling on his arm. "Doctor, you're hurting her! Let go!"

He looked up at Rose for a moment as though he hadn't seen her for a long time. Then, he blinked and let go abruptly. "I…" he whispered. "I _need _to know. I need to help now."

Elodie looked shaken, but spoke nonetheless. "They've… they've been dying. Ever since King Ulbrech started opening the arc more regularly, they've all been getting ill. I was trying to help them but they all die," she whispered.

"Over exposure to Medalon can destroy genes. Even if you don't touch it. It's like radiation poisoning," the Doctor added for Rose.

"What about me?" the Londoner asked sharply. "I was there when they turned the arc on. Am I going to die?"

The Doctor smiled properly for the first time all day. "No, Rose, you'll be fine. Trust me, you barely got a dose of it."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "But all the Kings are going to die anyway?"

"Yes. I can't take responsibility for their deaths, but everyone else here…"

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor as tight as she could. "You didn't mean to," she whispered into his ear.

"Doesn't make a difference if I meant to or not. I still did it."

Again, Rose didn't reply.

Elodie looked back at the two of them with a gentle smile. "Not everyone is dead. It seems the illness is only affecting a certain percentage of the population. Plenty are still alive. Maybe we could save them. Make them stay away from the Medalon and they'll stay alive!" As Elodie spoke it was evident in her voice that she was getting more and more hopeful for her people.

Rose smiled sadly back at her. "Sure," she agreed.

The Doctor shot Rose a sharp look that she understood immediately: don't get her hopes up.

The Doctor almost didn't want to see the town when they reached it. The mountain had collapsed by now, leaving a covering of rubble and dust everywhere. All of the wooden stalls were crushed; the only thing still standing was the Palace in all of its green glory. The Doctor's insides clenched as he thought of the pathetic Kings cowering inside while their citizens were dying. Even the lower corner where there had been the explosion was fine.

"Oh God," Rose whispered.

She hurried towards where the door of the mountain had been and whimpered slightly. A man's hand was sticking out from under the rubble with a red sleeve cuff just visible.

"Ulbrech, do you think?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know," Rose answered, squatting down beside the hand and gently touching it. Whoever it was, they didn't deserve to be buried alive.

Elodie crouched next to Rose, seeming completely unfazed by the death around her. "It isn't King Ulbrech. It is King Rendari," she informed them matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" the Doctor asked, slightly suspicious.

Elodie tapped the red cuff to explain. When she removed her fingers, the Doctor and Rose could see a sequence of dots. Quickly the Doctor counted them in his head.

"Ten dots. What does that mean?"

"The number shows the order. Ten is Rendari. One is Ulbrech, two is Makaidric, three is Potrack, four is-"

"We get it," the Doctor cut in. He was in no mood to learn all the names of the Kings of Arocatia. He wanted his answers before the planet gave way.

Elodie for a moment looked offended, but quickly masked her face again. "Of course," she conceded.

The Doctor increased his pace, not pausing again until they were directly in front of the main door of the palace. "Get us in," he demanded of Elodie, his patience wearing extremely thin.

Rose glared at him for a moment. "It's a door. Push it open," she snapped back at him. Elodie moved forward to do it for him, either sensing that the Doctor and Rose needed to talk, or simply from her inbuilt instinct to serve.

Elodie entered through the door and began to walk slowly down the corridor that the Doctor and Rose had first walked. Rose dropped into step with her male companion and began her hushed conversation with him.

"Stop snapping at her," she commanded. "None of this is her fault and she clearly doesn't know why you're angry with her. Stop being such a sod."

The Doctor turned to face her as her words made sense to him. "I know," he whispered back. "I know, I'm sorry. I just…"

Rose didn't find out what the Doctor 'just'; he stopped talking and carried on walking, facing ahead. "Could you ask her where the Kings are, please?" he requested civilly though still not facing Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes but nodded anyway. She increased the length of her strides to stand next to Elodie.

"Hi Elle," she greeted with a friendly smile. For one of the first times all day, Rose saw Elodie smile brightly back.

"Hello."

"Er, listen, do you know where there's like a King's chamber or something? Just a room or something where the Kings would go?"

"Of course. I often attend them in their conference room."

"Excellent. Where is it?"

"Follow me."

Rose turned to look over her shoulder, motioning for the Doctor to follow them. He smiled and nodded his head in thanks.

*****

When the trio arrived outside the grandest doors that any of them had seen in the entire Palace, they wasted no time in pushing the doors open immediately. Elodie tried to stop the Doctor for all of three seconds, but Rose gently squeezed her shoulder.

"It's alright. You don't have to serve them anymore."

Elodie appeared to want to smile, but couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Her lips stretched into something that looked more like a grimace as she slipped behind Rose to make herself as invisible as possible.

The Doctor strode with a purpose through the meeting room where there were only two remaining Kings: Ulbrech and Makaidric.

"Out," Ulbrech commanded, barely looking up at the three of them. There was a deep gash down his shoulder, stretching all the way from his collarbone to the middle of his chest. Makaidric lifted his eyes to them with such weariness that Rose expected his chin to drop to his chest and stay there.

"We are all but gone," Makaidric whispered. "We are dead."

Elodie couldn't seem to stop herself as she slipped out from behind Rose and headed directly for Makaidric. She placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, twisting him slightly on the spot. As he moved, the Doctor and Rose could see a cut running down the length of his head and neck. It was dripping blood down the back of his robes, but he was making no effort to clean or close the wound.

Ulbrech looked up now, appearing nearly as tired as Makaidric. "I said out," he repeated.

"And I say, you're going to tell me _everything _that's going on," the Doctor demanded, striding forward.

Elodie wasn't paying attention to Ulbrech, Rose or the Doctor as she was completely focused on Makaidric. Her eyes shut in concentration for a few brief seconds. Gentle lines appeared under her eyelids as her nose twitched slightly. Rose watched with her mouth gaping as the cut on Makaidric's head sealed itself slowly, as though someone was weaving invisible stitches through it. "Doctor," Rose whispered, gently tugging his sleeve to point him in Elodie's direction. The Doctor, much to Rose's annoyance, didn't seem at all surprising to him.

Once Makaidric appeared to be patched up, Elodie let go of his shoulders and began to move towards Ulbrech. Makaidric didn't make any motion of thanks.

Before Elodie could lay her hands on Ulbrech, the Doctor snapped an arm out, blocking her path to Ulbrech. "Doctor," she whispered. "Let me help him."

"No. I want answers first," he demanded, staring Ulbrech in the eye.

"You will not dictate orders to me!" Ulbrech barked, his usual sharpness and icy tone returning, despite the blood loss.

Elodie again tried to push past the Doctor's arm to tend to her master, but the Time Lord refused to budge. Rose quickly jumped forward to grip Elodie's upper arm. "Come on, Elle. Let the Doctor get his answers, yeah?" she asked politely, with another bright smile. Elodie, seemingly being only able to listen to Rose, nodded her head and moved away from Ulbrech and the Doctor.

"Now tell me," the Doctor began. "Tell me what's going on here. Why did you have these people mining Medalon?"

Ulbrech's lips remained resolutely zipped. Makaidric sighed. "It's over, Brech. Just tell them. Tell them and Eleven will heal you."

"Her name's Elodie," Rose cut in. "Elodie, got it? She has a name, just like a normal person."

"She's not a normal person though, is she?" Makaidric contradicted. "You know this rather well, Doctor. Even you know Rose, that she isn't normal. You know-"

"Quiet, Makai," Ulbrech snapped before his fellow King could continue. "Quiet."

The Doctor took three slow, tortuous steps, until he was pressed close to Ulbrech's face. "You have no idea who I am, do you? You have no idea what I can do."

"I believe that if you could have done anything you would have by now, sir," Ulbrech replied.

The Doctor leaned in, keeping his feet firmly planted on the floor, to whisper directly in Ulbrech's ear. Makaidric visibly leaned in to try to catch a snippet of what he was saying. Ulbrech's face told Rose all she needed to know: he appeared quite unconcerned for a moment, then his eyes widened dramatically before he tried to regain his composure. He coughed once, then grasped his shoulder when the movement pained him.

The Doctor moved away and watched him closely. "Do you want to tell me now?"

Despite his clear fear, Ulbrech remained silent still. Makaidric looked between the two of them. "Who are you?" he asked.

The Doctor turned his head slowly. "The last of the Time Lords. I've seen whole planets and civilisations burn. My own. Do you really think that after that I couldn't sit back and leave you and him," he indicated Ulbrech with his thumb, "here to die? Would you put it past me?"

Rose, having travelled with him for so long, didn't think the Doctor really would. She didn't think he really would just leave the two of them and any of the remaining population on a dying planet. Yet… the look in his eyes was scary. It was something she hadn't seen on him before and it terrified her. Makaidric didn't try to hide his fear and/or admiration. "Time Lord? You're a Time Lord?"

"Oh yes. I'm a Time Lord."

Makaidric exchanged what looked like an excited glance with Ulbrech before nodding excessively. "What do you want to know? If I tell you, will you help us?"

"I'll see what I can do," the Doctor replied obscurely. "First, get talking. I want to know everything that's going on here."

Even Elodie appeared curious as to what Makaidric was going to say. Ulbrech glared intently as his friend, but said nothing.

"Our ancestors came here many hundreds of years ago. We came from a planet far off in the galaxy and far in the future."

"The future?" Rose cut in. "How did you get here from the future?"

"It was an accident. Our ancestors were prisoners. The worst kind…" he trailed off, shaking his head from side to side gently. "They were murderers. Their home planet didn't stand for crime, so they sent all of the criminals to a planet under their ownership to work."

"Like a penal colony? Like how the English used to use Australia?" Rose clarified.

"Hm… I suppose so," Makai confirmed. "On route to the planet-"

"Makai, be quiet!" Ulbrech barked, his face becoming redder and redder as Makaidric spoke. "You dishonour your grandfathers!"

"They dishonour me! They were criminals, Brech. As were yours. We owe nothing to them."

Ulbrech sucked in his cheeks and glowered at Makaidric. His grey hair was a mess and falling over his face, but he didn't care. He stared so hard at Makaidric that it appeared as though he thought it would be able to stop him talking. The Doctor turned to face Ulbrech, extremely unimpressed. "_You_ be quiet. If you're not going to help me, stop interrupting the man who will."

The Doctor pulled up a chair from the long table, slid onto it and watched Makaidric intently. "Continue," he requested. Makaidric nodded to indicate his compliance.

"En route to the planet in the ships by the dock, the prisoners revolted against the guards. In the struggle, someone must have broken the control pad of the ships. Our entire civilisation is based on Medalon, so that was how our ships were powered. When the controls were broken, it sent the Medalon into a frenzy; it opened a window in time and space, depositing them here. It destroyed the whole system, a return trip wouldn't have been possible."

"I still don't get it all," Rose said. "Why did they get people from Earth? Why couldn't they mine the Medalon themselves if they wanted it so much?"

"From the records-"

"I though your people couldn't read and write," Rose pointed out in an accusatory manner. Even the Doctor turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow in a way to say 'are you only just joining the dots now?'

"Our ancestors made sure the humans could never read and write to make sure that no one would find out that they were serving the descendents of criminals. And to answer your questions: our ancestors didn't want to mine Medalon themselves because, as I'm sure you've noticed already, over exposure has a radiation like effect. That is what has killed so many of us," Makaidric explained.

"I'm getting the gist of it," the Doctor said. "But why did you need the Medalon? What is the arc for?"

"Ulbrech's grandfather was the inventor of the pads. The collective power of the pads plus the natural energy of the crystal centre was enough to open windows in time and space."

"You were trying to find your home planet? Return to it?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes. For a variety of reasons, depending on who you ask. Myself and many other Kings, Potrack for example, just wanted to find the families we have never known. Others…" Makaidric turned his stare on Ulbrech, who had not moved from his position. Suddenly, Makaidric appeared far colder and accusatory than he ever had before. "Others were more keen to take revenge on the people who sent our _criminal _ancestors away. It has taken us generations to try to find the correct window to our planet and time. We still haven't found it."

The Doctor was silent for a long while, trying to keep track of everything in his mind. _Criminal ancestors… broken ship… human mining… how?_

"How did you get the humans from Earth? If your ships won't work?"

"The ships still run, they just can't open time windows. Earth was a nearby planet with a large enough population who were behind enough to not notice a few hundred going missing," Ulbrech answered lazily, waving a hand airily as though human kidnap was something that happened everyday on this planet.

"What am I for?" Elodie suddenly asked. She had been silent for the entire explanation, so her sudden question was surprising. Ulbrech turned his raised eyebrow on her with such clear disdain. Rose felt herself getting angry, especially when neither Ulbrech nor Makaidric answered her.

"Oi. She's got every right to know why she's here. Get talking."

Ulbrech turned the same disdainful glare onto Rose but opened his mouth with a slight roll of his eyes. His hand was still clutching his shoulder- the only indication that he was in any pain.

"For us. We are Kings," he answered pompously.

The Doctor laughed mirthlessly. "Oh please… you're thieves. You stole people and power. You have no right to call yourselves monarchy."

Makaidric seemed to be in no mood to delay the explanation any further and turned his face to snap at Ulbrech. "Brech, for once it will be I who tells you to be quiet. If you want to stand any hope of having yourself fixed, then hold you tongue."

Ulbrech clearly wanted to say _many _things, though none of them were likely appropriate.

"Like I said, the Medalon acts as a type of radiation, except to those who are made from it; those who have it spread through their cells. Elev… Elodie and her predecessors were here to absorb as much Medalon from the Kings are possible after arc openings. For generations it worked, but now, after so much use, there is little that can be done."

"There are still things I don't get," Rose cut in.

"What would you like to know?"

"What's the deal with the furry floors? Those animals, what are they? And that explosion a little while ago, what was it?"

"The animals are…" Makaidric clearly didn't want to say it. "They were the guards. After the prisoners overpowered their escorts, they used the little remaining Medalon in the core to convert the guards into something that could be controlled. Trained for a specific purpose. The animals have Medalon in their cores, thus their fur is an excellent conductor for the Medalon. Our entire Palace would have been sent home, should we have been able to find the right window. We kept the animals in the forest to protect the ships from any citizens who might wander. The citizens have daggers and the trained skill to kill the animals if it comes to it, but the threat of them is enough to stop the wandering." Makaidric paused for a moment, taking a deep breath for his lungs before continuing. "As for the explosion… we thought that was you. The Palace fixed itself, being made from Medalon, it can do that. Medalon is designed to preserve itself forever."

Rose pretended not to notice the subtle glance the Doctor sent in Elodie's direction.

"That explosion wasn't us," the Doctor informed them, his eyes narrowing. It was a rare occurrence for him to be as confused as he was then. No one spoke for a moment as they composed their thoughts. Elodie, Rose and the Doctor all had their attention focused on Makaidric, in case he explained anymore. They were so focused on him that no one noticed that Ulbrech had been suspiciously quiet since being told off by Makai. He hadn't uttered a sound. No one had even noticed him move.

It was only when Rose felt an arm slide around her throat that she squealed. Ulbrech was surprising strong for such an old man. His muscles flexed as he griped her neck tightly, pulling her back towards him. The Doctor swivelled quickly and dived towards Rose. "Let her go!" he demanded.

Ulbrech slid out a dagger out from the inside of his robes. It was very similar to the one that Elodie had used to kill the 'guards' at the docks, though Ulbrech's looked much more intricately designed.

"Brech!" Makaidric exclaimed. "Don't be a fool, Ulbrech. This is over! Let her go and the Doctor will help us! He can take us somewhere safe!"

"He will not. The Doctor is a liar. Perhaps though, if I keep his beloved hostage, he will be forced to hold up his end of the bargain."

The Doctor reached out a hand to Rose, trying to keep her calm while not reacting badly himself. "I promise you, I will help you, if you let Rose go. If you don't, I'll leave you here to die," he swore calmly.

"Then you will leave Rose here to die with me."

The blur came out of nowhere. Elodie moved with lightening fast reactions, heading directly for Ulbrech. She smacked directly into his damaged shoulder, making him yell out in pain and release his grip on Rose. She fell forwards towards the Doctor, who caught her expertly. Ulbrech roared in anger and swung his arm towards Elodie. The dagger in his hand cut through her cheek and the force of him sent her flying back towards the wall.

"No!" Rose yelled out.

Elodie whimpered gently when she hit the floor. Ulbrech began to advance towards her, making the young girl press herself up against the wall to make herself as small as possible. As soon as she came in contact with the Medalon of the walls, it all began to happen.

A deep rumbling was the first thing. Rose had never felt an earthquake before, but she assumed this was what it felt like. The ground shook dangerously, sending them all swaying. A crack appeared in the floor near the door, which spread along and out until there were a million little fissures along the floor.

The Doctor seemed to be the only one capable of rational thought. He grabbed Rose's hand and yanked her towards the door. "RUN!" he screamed at Makaidric. As the Doctor ran her out of the room, Rose grabbed hold of Elodie tightly, pulling her after them.

"Come on sweetheart," she encouraged the young girl whose cut had disappeared. The rumbling was increasing and the fissures were appearing all the way along all of the corridors. Explosions were happening all around the Palace; they could hear them. It was the same as what happened earlier.

"It was you," Rose whispered, staring at Elodie, though talking so quietly, no one could hear her.

Makaidric and Ulbrech were close behind them running like their lives depended on it… and they did.

The five of them made it out of the palace and cleared the area, just in time to see the entire building go up in a dramatic display of fire and rubble. Rose gasped. The explosions weren't stopping at the palace, however. The ground following the stone path out of the town was cracking as they ran it, heading for the TARDIS.

The Doctor was the first to reach the door to his little blue box. Rose dived in three seconds later, still grasping Elodie's hand. Makaidric and Ulbrech were a short distance behind her, tearing towards them as fast as humanly possible. The Doctor began twisting buttons and banging levers on the TARDIS, then reached his hand out through the door. "Come on!" he screamed to Makaidric, who was slightly ahead of Ulbrech.

The ground was shaking to the point of rattling the TARDIS by now. Ulbrech and Makaidric still had a distance to run but they were doing it… the Doctor could save someone… Just as Makaidric's hand was beginning to be in touching distance of the Doctor's, the Time Lord felt the door of the TARDIS slamming shut around him.

"NO!" he screamed as it shut and the familiar whooshing noise surrounded him. He turned to see Elodie with her back against the shut door, breathing heavily while Rose collapsed into a chair. "Why did you shut it?!" he demanded of the young girl.

"You would bring the people who had destroyed so many lives?"

"I could have saved them! I could have saved someone!"

Elodie didn't flinch anymore at the Doctor's tone. "No. You couldn't have."

*****

The TARDIS seemed to have a bit of a bad stomach, judging by the ride they were getting. It was rocky, bumpy and generally uncomfortable. The Doctor performed all sorts of diagnostics on it, attempting to find the problem. Eventually, after a couple of hours of being tossed around the control room, he banged another lever, landing them on a busy shopping planet. One of the ones from far into the future when humans needed an entire planet to shop on.

"Can you get some food for us?" he requested of Elodie when the doors to the TARDIS were flung open. He fished around for a moment for the credits he had left from Satellite 5. "Those should work. There's plenty there," he smiled almost encouragingly. "Just go to those shops down there to find something while I try making her better," he explained, indicating the TARDIS. Elodie half-shrugged while exiting the box.

"I'll go with her," Rose whispered gently to the Doctor. She didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was after losing all of Arocatia. Not just Makaidric and Ulbrech but all the citizens who had survived the cold virus.

"No, no, I'd like you to stay with me," the Doctor answered back quickly. A little too quickly.

Rose didn't think much of it. She nodded and sat back down beside him. "Can you find out what's wrong with the ol' girl then?"

"I know what's wrong with her," the Doctor answered, his head hung as the unshed tears stung his eyes.

"Oh. What is it then?"

The Doctor lifted his head slowly, gazing sadly into Rose's eyes. "Elodie."

Rose missed a beat. "What?"

"Her Medalon. It's interfering with the TARDIS's core, that's why it's been such a bumpy journey. It's trying to shake her off. Her kind of cells mixed with the TARDIS… it could cause the wipeout of a solar system. I'm sorry, Rose."

"S-sorry? Sorry for what?"

The Doctor didn't reply. He slammed the doors of the TARDIS shut again, finally letting a single tear slide down his cheek. He pressed the buttons that needed pressing and turned the knobs that needed turning to get them on their way.

"No. N-no, Doctor. Doctor, you can't! Doctor, she's a little girl, you can't leave her here!"

Rose dived towards the doors, desperate to get to them in time. The Doctor jumped after her, grabbing her around the forearms. "No!" Rose sobbed. The Doctor held her against his chest, hugging tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered as the TARDIS whooshed around them.

Elodie was heading out of the food store with some kind of meat wrapped in bread when she saw the TARDIS disappear.

**A/N:**** Woah. I swear, that is the longest chapter I've ever written for anything. Also, I sort of lied. This *technically* isn't the last chapter. There's one final instalment to come after this, but it's more of a sequel spoiler than anything else. I'm so happy to have made it through a whole story though; this is the first time in my life that I've ever posted up an entire story in a relatively short amount of time without deviating to other stories/one-shots while doing it. A giant thanks to everyone who reviewed the story and everyone else who read it. It means a load to me. **


	7. Epilogue

_A/N:__ This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the last part. You can call it an epilogue, or a sequel preview, or whatever you want to. I personally, wouldn't call it a chapter because it's definitely not anywhere the length of the others. Anyway, it'd still be wonderful to hear your views on this part and if you'd like to read the sequel. I've already started writing it, but if no one wants to read it, I suppose I won't post it. _

_Also, just to clarify: this part is taking place about two years (of Elodie's time) after the last one._

_Happy reading!_

_*****_

_**Loyridia, year 2014.**_

**There was a sandstorm coming; Elodie could feel it in the air. She quickly pulled up her now blonde hair that had been stripped of colour by the powerful Loyridian sun into a ponytail with the rubber wrapped around her wrist. Enough time spent outside had led her to be nearly permanently tanned. **

**Elodie exited the diner hastily, glancing quickly over her shoulder to make sure no one was accompanying her, then she slipped around the side of the metal building, heading for a spot she could just about see with the sun blaring in her eyes.**

**The walk wasn't ridiculously long, but it took enough time for Elodie to increase her pace in order to get there before the storm picked up. The wind was blowing a little more harshly than it had been when she'd gone to eat, wiping the sand around her face. **

**She scrunched her eyes up for a few moments, before becoming sick of the feeling of the tense muscles in her face. With barely a thought, Elodie felt the wind around her cease. About two feet from her in all directions, it was still visibly blowing the sand up and around.**

**The bubble of windless air followed her all the way through the desert that Elodie was trekking across towards the small bunker now becoming visible on the horizon. As she walked, Elodie took another lazy glance around to ensure her privacy. **

**The planet had not changed in the year and a half she'd been there at all. Loyridia shouldn't even count as a planet, in Elodie's opinion. Only the northern hemisphere of the rock was habitable- unless you minded the occasional sandstorm- with the gases in the air becoming steadily more toxic the further south you went. The only part of the north that truly had any visitors was a patch of land about 50 square miles. That 50 square miles consisted of the diner, a fuelling station and, unbeknownst to anyone else, the bunker that Elodie was inhabiting. Loyridia was nothing more than a pit stop. **

**Loyridia was chosen specifically by Elodie when she was studying the star constellations. The planet she'd been so unceremoniously deserted on wouldn't do; too many people, too many voices. **

**Earth had been home for a little while. For a brief time after leaving Harlotries (the planet the Doctor had left her on) Elodie was angry. The kind of anger she had never ever felt before; a deep burning rage deep in her stomach that made her want to hurt people… kill them. **

**For a spat of about three days, Elodie walked. She walked through space and time in every literal sense, traipsing planets until she came to Earth. She remembered Rose mentioning it as her home and hoped that perhaps she'd find her there. She had no such luck. But she stayed anyway. Kept herself hidden and secret, not letting any humans know she was there. **

**She waited for three months on Earth, looking for Rose- the only person in the Universe who had ever cared for her. And somewhere in her mind she knew she was looking for the Doctor- the one who had abandoned her.**

**When nothing happened and she began to be bored of the planet, Elodie walked again. She found herself on a bizarre planet. She wasn't sure of the name or of where she really was, but she found they had records upon records of history. It was through the books that Elodie had found the name and description that had led her to all the way to Loyridia in 2014. Before 2014, Loyridia hadn't been doing too bad as a planet. The gases were still confined to the bottom of the planet and the rest was still thriving. There were shops, houses and a growing population. **

**A war in 2011 with their neighbouring planet, Froxibia, had destroyed them. All the shops and houses were dismantled to make weapons to fight the enemy. The inhabitants of the planet were evacuated to a planet far off that the Froxibians wouldn't find. When the Loyridian government were killed, no one brought them back. The evacuees continued living their lives on their new home, and the Froxibians left Loyridia empty, using it as a fuelling station that could be charged for. Anyone that went through Loyridia would pay directly to the Froxibian government.**

**It was a pointless war, for nothing but monetary gain.**

**Elodie herself cared little for what had happened to the planet before her arrival; it's emptiness only helped her purpose, so it suited her quite nicely. **

**The wind picked up even more as she drew closer and closer to the bunker. As she reached the door, Elodie let the air bubble around her drop and felt the sting of the air against her cheeks.**

**Elle quickly pushed the door open, shaking off the sand as she did so, relishing the calm air of the bunker. **

**The corridors of the bunker were white washed and hospital-like, perhaps in a kind of irony due to Elodie's actions inside. She was silent on her way through the 'house' until she reached what had been dubbed 'the living room'. Elodie wasn't sure if a 'living room' had any specific meaning on his planet, or if he had picked it up on his journeys, but she went along with it. It didn't make any difference to her, so long as he helped her find Rose.**

**Elodie smiled gently as she entered the room. "Got you some food," she told him, pulling a burger out of her pocket and tossing it to him. He caught it easily in his left hand, quickly pulling back the wrapper and taking a hefty bite. Elodie smiled slyly. "I can get you more if you're that hungry."**

"**Yeah, thanks," he agreed through a mouthful of meat and bun. **

**Elodie dropped herself to the chair beside him, and sat silently while he finished eating. Within thirty seconds, the burger was gone and he was looking at her with a grin.**

**Elodie understood exactly what this meant. "You've found him?"**

"**I've found him."**

"**And I assume this is why they call you the Master."**

*********

**A/N:**** Yep, that's it. I think that if anyone actually wants to read the sequel, they might have to wait for a while as I want to get the majority of it written before I start uploading it. Thank you guys for all sticking through this story, it means a lot. All of you should take yourself a cookie. Go ahead!**

**Besides that, make sure you look out for the sequel when it comes along. At the moment it doesn't have a title, but I'll stick it up on my profile when I think of a name. **


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